Portable refuse container



5, 1970 E. SAFFORD 3,510,055

PORTABLE REFUSE CONTAINER Filed Nov. 28, 1967 Fl .I

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INVENTOR EARL SAFFORD BY M flaw/5L ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice 3,510,055 Patented May 5, 1970 3,510,055 PORTABLE REFUSE CONTAINER Earl Saiford, 1958 Lawrence, Detroit, Mich. 48206 Filed Nov. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 686,176 lint. Cl. B65f 1/00 US. Cl. 232-432 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable refuse container which includes an enclosing housing with top and bottom, side and end walls, the side and end walls defining an enclosure, with apertures in said enclosure receiving hinged doors, said enclosure adapted to receive a plurality of refuse holders; the top wall being apertured and mounting individual chute assemblies in registry with said refuse holders, each chute assembly including a hinged cover.

The present invention relates to portable refuse containers and represents an improvement in the refuse container of my US. Pat. 3,298,533, dated Jan. 17, 1967.

The present invention relates to refuse containers which include trash cans and garbage cans, and more particularly to an improved refuse container and for housing and storing same.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome many of the well known difliculties, and providing cleanliness with respect to trash cans, garbage cans, and the like, and to overcome problems with cats, dogs, rats, flies, and other insects, and problems relating to odor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refuse container in the nature of a closed receptacle within which a plurality of refuse holders, such as garbage cans, trash cans, or trash bags may be removably stored in a convenient but sanitary manner, and sealed from the exterior.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a refuse container which is adapted to hold a plurality of garbage cans or trash containers or garbage bags in such a manner as to exclude them from the outside atmosphere, but to yet render the same conveniently accessible.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claim in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the present refuse container which may have doors at its opposite ends or a plurality of doors upon one side.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similar view taken in the direction of arrows 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a similar view taken in the direction of arrows 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective yet fragmentary view illustrating the suspending of holders upon the interior of the refuse container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken in the direction of arrows 6-6 of FIG. 1.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claim hereafter set forth.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable refuse container generally indicated at 11 consists of a hollow housing 12, with bottom wall 13 including peripheral depending flange 14, and depending from said bottom wall a series of pedestal legs or supports 15, which suspend castors 16. Alternately castors 16 could be replaced by suitable wheels to render the refuse container portable, as desired. Alternately it is contemplated that the supports and castors 15 and 16 could be replaced merely by the transverse support for raising the housing 12 off the ground surface.

Said housing includes the opposed spaced upright side walls 17, which include upright inwardly directed end flanges 18 and the transverse top flange 19, FIG. 2.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, side flanges 18 terminate in the inwardly directed opposed in plan L-shaped flanges 20, including stops 21 for receiving hinged doors 22 arranged at opposite ends of housing 12.

Each of said doors is mounted by spring hinges 23 to one of the flanges 18, and is normally biased to a closed position in registry with stops 21, and openable by handle 24. Thus container 12 will remain closed when not in use for excluding vermin, etc. Suitable magnetic catches 25 are employed, for illustration, for normally maintaining the doors 22 closed, and in registry with the stops 21 and the respective end walls of the housing.

The side walls 17 and their corresponding side flanges 18 are nested and interconnected with the corresponding "bottom wall 13, and its flange 14, FIGS. 1 and 3, secured together by fasteners 26, which could be a sheet metal screw or a bolt and nut, for illustration.

As a part of the present invention, the respective ends of the housing 12 could remain closed and provided upon one of the walls 17 a pair of outwardly opening doors 29. For this purpose, and adjacent side wall flanges 18, and inwardly thereof there is provided an opposed pair of L-shaped in plan flanges 27, including stops 28 for registry with doors 29. These doors are hingedly mounted to a side wall 17 by a spring type of hinge, as shown at 23, FIG. 1, for normally maintaining the doors 29 closed, there being suitable handles 24 for opening the same, and suitable magnetic catches, such as shown at 25, FIG. 1, for normally maintaining the said doors closed and in registry with side wall 17, FIG. 1.

Housing 12 includes top wall 30 with peripheral depending flange 31, which overlies the upper ends of the side walls 17, and is in cooperative registry therewith and their included flanges 18 assembled and secured thereto by additional fasteners 26 at the respective ends of the top wall and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention there is shown in FIG. 1, one of a pair of trash containers C, or garbage cans, which are mounted upon bottom wall 13 and in registry with either the end doors 22 or in registry with the corresponding outwardly opening side doors 29. It is contemplated that any number of containers could be provided, and with the corresponding number of doors 29 in the side wall to provide access thereto.

While in the illustrative embodiment only two containers C are suggested for FIG. 1, it is contemplated that the number of containers could be increased by increasing the length of the housing or for movably mounting and supporting the containers as shown at C, FIG. 5, and wherein the containers are in the form of bags C of paper or plastic or other material suspended by hooks 44, as hereafter described.

Corresponding to the number of containers C, FIG. 1, there are provided within top wall 30 a pair of spaced apertures defined by the upstanding peripheral flanges 32, FIG. 2.

Mounted over each set of flanges 32 is a chute assembly 33 including downwardly and inwardly tapered walls terminating in an aperture 34, which may be rectangular or round. Said chute assembly includes a depending peripheral flange 35, which snugly engages around upstanding peripheral flange 32 and is fixedly secured to the top Wall 30 as by welds 36, for illustration. The chute assembly also includes a cover 37, including depending peripheral flange 38, which overlies, engages and seals around chute assembly flange 35, and is pivotally hinged thereto at 39. The hinge employed is a spring type of hinge which will normally bias the cover 37 to a closed position as shown in FIG. 1, maintaining the same closed until opened by a suitable handle 40.

FIG. 5 fragmentarily shows a means for movably mounting trash containers C within the enclosure defined by the side walls and end walls of housing 12, and wherein the containers C are suspended by hooks 44 from a series of parallel spaced longitudinally adjustable rods 42 Whose respective down-turned ends 43 are slidably and movably mounted within the opposed upwardly opening channels 41 mounted adjacent the upper ends of said side walls.

By this construction the container C may be slid into the housing from the respective ends as desired providing an alternate means by which the refuse container C may be suspended within the said housing. The container C may be plastic or paper bags or other refuse container removably suspended from the series of cross rods 42, upon the interior of the housing.

The construction of the present housing contemplates the cooperation between flanged bottom wall 13, flanged side wall 17, and flanged top wall 30 in a cooperative nested and interlock relationship by which a limited number of fasteners 26 secure the parts together in an assembled relation as described to complete the present portable refuse container.

Having described rny invention reference should now be had to the following claim.

I claim:

1. In combination, a portable refuse container comprising a hollow elongated housing;

said housing including a bottom wall, opposed side walls, and apertured top and end walls;

said side and end walls defining an enclosure;

there being a plurality of apertures in said enclosure;

corresponding doors in said apertures hinged to said enclosure;

said enclosure and bottom wall adapted to movably mount and enclose a plurality of refuse holders;

the apertures in said top wall being in registry with said refuse holders respectively;

an apertured guide chute assembly with inwardly and downwardly tapered walls overlying each top Wall aperture and secured to said top wall, adapted to guide refuse into said holders respectively;

and a cover hinged to and over each chute assembly, the mounting of refuse holders within said housing including opposed elongated upwardly opening channels upon the interior of said side walls adjacent their upper ends;

and a series of parallel spaced support rods with depending ends slidably mounted in said channels respectively, and longitudinally adjustable within said housing;

said refuse holders including hooks removably engageable with said rods.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 581,322 4/1897 Winters 232-432 1,160,820 11/1915 Baur 232-43.2 1,285,477 11/1918 Valentine 232-432 2,167,525 7/ 1939 Rosendale.

3,065,858 11/1962 Furr.

3,099,390 7/1963 Dylla 232-432 3,110,535 11/1963 Anderson.

3,236,405 2/1966 Reil 312-257 3,261,545 7/1966 Frazier 232-432 3,298,533 1/1967 Saflord 211-71 FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 211-71; 312-211 

